Paul Bigley, whose brother Ken was one of several Western hostages personally beheaded by al-Zarqawi, said: "The man was an animal and he deserved what he got. And may he rot in hell."

Ken Bigley, an engineer from Liverpool, was abducted along with two US colleagues from their house in Baghdad on September 16, 2004.

The two Americans were killed within a week but Mr Bigley was kept alive for a further two weeks, during which time repeated videos were released showing him pleading with Tony Blair to secure his freedom. He was killed on October 7, 2004 and a grisly video of his murder posted online.

Another of Mr Bigley's brothers, Stan, said that he was glad al-Zarqawi "was off the face of the Earth, not just for Ken but for all the people he has killed".

Paul Bigley, who waged a three-week campaign to win his brother's freedom, agreed.

"You should never be happy about somebody's death (but) the world has rid themselves of a very bad person," he told Channel 4 News. He thinks he's going to paradise. I'm convinced the man is in hell... and may he rot there."

Al-Zarqawi's death was also welcomed by Nadia al-Alami, whose wedding in the Jordanian capital Amman was devastated last November by a triple suicide bombing claimed by the Jordanian terror leader. Sixty-three people died in the bombings, including the bride's parents.

"I am happy from the bottom of my heart," she said. "God is great and he does not forget anyone. "

She added: "Our religion says that murderers are killed, sooner or later."

There was a note of regret, however, from the father of Nick Berg, an American hostage thought to have been personally beheaded by al-Zarqawi in May 2004.

"The death of every human being is a tragedy," said Michael Berg, a long time anti-war activist. "The death of Mr Zarqawi means a continuation of the violence and revenge that took the life of my son."

In a CNN interview, Mr Berg repeatedly refused to voice any pleasure in al-Zarqawi's death.

"How could a human being be glad that another human being is dead?" he asked. "He (al-Zarqawi) has a family who reacts just as my family reacted when Nick was killed, and I feel badly for that."

Al-Zarqawi's family did indeed mourn him in his hometown of Zarqa, where he was born Ahmad Faadhil al-Khalailah in 1966. Al-Zarqawi's elder brother, Sayel al-Khalailah set up a traditional mourning tent outside his home, where friends and relatives came to pay their respects.

"We anticipated that he would be killed for a very long time," said Mr al-Khalailah, one of 57 relatives who signed a newspaper advert disavowing him after the Amman bombings. "We anticipated for a very long time that he would be killed."